How do you write what people actually want to read?
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This is an interesting question. I just got an email reminding me how many times a particular journal article I wrote with a colleague has been cited.
Most of the time here, I am just journaling and writing down my rambles, and if it hits someone, if it is relatable to at least one person, if one person can get something out of it to make them feel better, that is a success to me.
In my work life, I haven’t written too much at all, if you think about how my career has spanned 25 years. I started with writing reviews, and I have a handful of journal articles and a book chapter. I just got my first rejection email about the latest journal article I wrote with my boss, but it wasn’t the right fit for that journal.
Funny enough, the one that gets cited the most is the one where we talked about how we could use blogs in our profession. This was years ago, and we got lucky. Blogs were very new; the Blogger site had been up maybe a year, and it was the latest and greatest back before vlogs and podcasts were even a glimmer in anyone’s eyes. I think we were still trying to decide whether this iPod or Samsung music device was going to catch on.
Most of the time, I just write for me. I have something in my head, and I want to get it out. When I am at work, I look at the people I am serving (always a submissive to someone) and try to hit on something they need in that moment. Whether it is an event or training I am trying to decide on, I look to them and the cycle of their needs and try to figure out what is going to work as a just-in-time type of thing. It is hard for people to learn from the information you give them if they don’t see how it is relevant to them and they don’t have a chance to use it right away. I barely get it right, but then sometimes I do.
And when I do, that makes me happy because I feel like I have helped someone, even if it is just one person.
